[AT] Lake MI ferry was John Deere train

[Corn chopper]

Brian,
Thanks for the info on this ferry.  I took it one time several years ago.
At that time we left from Kewaunee, WI to Ludington, MI.  Not a quick trip
but was an enjoyable trip and I'm very glad I took the time to do it.

Ernie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brian VanDragt" <bvandragt at intraworldcom.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 10:15 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] new album on the ATIS Image Depot


It seems entirely possible to fit all of those cars on one ship.  One of my
other interests is railroads and railroad carferries.  Carferries are ships
built with railroad tracks right on the deck.  There is a sea gate in the
stern of the ship which opens and the cars are pushed right onboard.  I
don't know anything about whether any ocean going ships have tracks in them,
but I live in Michigan where these ships used to haul railroad cars across
Lake Michigan to Wisconsin all the time.  The Ann Arbor Railroad Company
started doing this in 1892 and various railroads operated carferries on Lake
Michigan until 1990.  In 1953 the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad put the last
two ferries into service, the Badger and Spartan.  These ships are 410' long
and were designed to carry 32 40' cars each.  The Badger has been restored
and carries passengers with their automobiles and even buses and semis
across the lake now.  Depending on their size, it can carry up to 180
vehicles and 620 passengers.  It is now the last coal fired ship operating
on the Great Lakes.  I have a book on the Badger which has a picture of
carloads of Allis Chalmers tractors on the ship and more cars full of Massey
Harris tractors being loaded in Wisconsin.  I highly recommend taking a trip
on it if you're traveling through the area.  It goes from Ludington MI to
Manitowoc WI and back once or twice a day from May 14 to October 10.  The
website is www.ssbadger.com.  A good site on the history of Great Lakes
carferries is www.carferries.com.

Brian

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cecil E Monson" <cmonson at hvc.rr.com>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 6:14 PM
Subject: [AT] new album on the ATIS Image Depot


> Ernie Thackeray just sent in 4 photos of a 50 car trainload
> of new John Deere tractors that were seen crossing Nebraska (near
> Gothenburg, NE) on their way to Washington state to be loaded on a
> ship bound for China.
>
> When I saw these tractors I wondered if you could get 50
> railroad carloads of tractors on one ship?  Does anyone know? Here
> is the link to the album.
>
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/gallery/album10
>
> Like I said, you can thank Ernie (Cornchopper) for these
> photos.
>
> Cecil
> --
> The nicest thing about telling the truth is you never have to wonder
> what you said.
>
> Cecil E Monson
> Lucille Hand-Monson
> Mountainville, New York   Just a little east of the North Pole
>
> Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment
>
> Free advice
>
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at

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